What are downhill bikes?

Each inveterate cyclist quickly develops all the neighborhoods close to home. At the same time, there is often a moment of boredom, when it's not so exciting as it used to be to drive along the usual smooth roads. Get off the rolled, straight path, test your own abilities and put before yourself new, serious tasks allow downhill bikes.

Specification

Bikes for downhill are specific two-pendant mountain bikes with improved damping of the rear and front wheels. They are designed for high-speed descent through especially difficult, steep sections. Unlike standard mountain dvuhpodvesov, freeride downhill bicycles have a fortified thick-walled frame with a huge margin of safety.

If compared with the extremely common universal bikes for cross country, the models for descent from the hills are heavier, even when using the same frame materials.

Design features

Typically, downhill bikes are made from aluminum. However, at the present time in the market there are a lot of models from carbon, which belong to the upper price category.

A downhill mountain bike has been designed so that the course of the rear suspension is as wide as possible. Typically, this is about 7-10 inches (from 178 to 254 mm). The front shock absorbers are also characterized by a significant compression capacity - 7-8 inches (from 178 to 200 mm). Typically, the suspension of the suspension during the ride is about 50% of its maximum capacity. So malleable amortization contributes to the safe overcoming of rocky and crooked sections of the route at the maximum possible speeds.

Bicycles for downhill have a slight angle of inclination of the steering column, length of the wheelbase and the possibility of installing wide tires. The latter provide better grip on surfaces, on which it is problematic to keep even moving on foot.

Switches

Among the switches that are equipped with downhill bicycles, the leading positions are held by the Japanese brand Shimano and American SRAM. To determine what is better is rather difficult, because production lines are similar in quality and price.

On domestic spaces, mostly "top", expensive American switches are used that are suitable for installation on downhill bicycles. Therefore, most riders prefer a conservative, rather budgetary solution in the form of products of the brand Shimano.

Wheels

According to the standard, small wheels with a diameter of 26 inches are installed on the stories for downhill. Recently cyclists, who are well acquainted with the peculiarities of movement in difficult terrain, prefer tubeless tires. The latter facilitate a two-wheeled vehicle, reduce the likelihood of punctures. However, such expensive wheels are recommended only for owners of downhill bicycles, who regularly train for participation in serious competitions.

Saddle

Experienced riders prefer telescopic seat posts. When using a bike solely for descent from the hills, such an option is useless and may even cause harm. However, during the movement on an inclined surface, the telescopic system can be lowered and raised to the desired limit at the touch of a button. This facilitates the selection of more gentle riding regimes for the condition of the knee joints.

Price issue

The cost of bicycles for taking downhill on the domestic market today starts from 1000 conventional units. It all depends on the manufacturer, configuration, build quality.

Determined with an affordable price category, it is important to pay attention to the presence of an impressive suspension stroke, the increased reliability of components, since the slightest breakdown in the course of high-speed cross-country traffic can lead to unpredictable consequences for the state of the bike itself and for the rider.

Finally

Why do you need to be prepared by purchasing a bike for downhill? First and foremost, an unprepared rider will have to learn for a long time to properly hold the pedals in the standing position, shift the weight, breathe in the right rhythm on steep climbs. As difficult as climbing, at first there will be subsequent descents.

The ability to smoothly move away from steep slides is an important skill for downhill, which is acquired through long, stubborn training. Gradually it becomes easier to modulate the speed, enter into sharp turns, put the pedals in the desired position.

Finally it is worth noting that downhill is, above all, a sport that simply "sucks" money out of the purse. At the same time, this activity is a great hobby that allows you to feel yourself really alive.